Mount Evelyn DX Report

TECSUN PL680 BEATS EXPECTATIONS! Part 1 (Here is an edited and updated version of an article I wrote for "The World of Shortwave Listening" column of The Spectrum Monitor magazine - August 2016 issue. Further details on this excellent publication is available at www.thespectrummonitor.com ) I have been procrastinating over investing in another portable shortwave radio to replace my ageing (but still going strong) Sangean ATS909. Also known in the U.S. as the rebadged Radio Shack DX–398, the Sangean has been a most reliable rig for in-the-field DXpeditions. My unit is one of the early first generation versions that I purchased on the second-hand market, so I’m guessing it has to be at least 16 years old now. It continues to provide a full rich tone quality on AM/FM and is very sensitive on shortwave providing you use an external antenna of 5 metres (16 feet) or more. The radio received some bad press because of its poor SW reception using just the telescopic rod a...

EXCELLENT PROPAGATION BRINGS WONDERFUL DX Certainly over the last week or so, we have had a wonderful period of very good shortwave propagation. In my last DX QUICK TIPS post , I focused on some pleasing night time signals heard on the 15 and 17 mHz parts of the the SWBC spectrum. But, I wasn't planning to do another post so soon a couple of days later listing some fantastic transmissions from the 90, 60, and 49mb! Anyway, here's my most recent loggings......... 3260   PAPUA NEW GUINEA. NBC Port Moresby - Madang. Two chatty women at 1027, good signal on Sept 22. 3310   BOLIVIA. R. Mosoj Chaski - Cochabamba. Anncts at 1000 then a pop song at 1001. Rapid fire anncts and chat at 1003. Making it through the S7 local noise on one of the few occasions this past month. Faded out by 1100 on Sept 22. 3330   CANADA. CHU - Ottawa. This was a surprisingly good signal for this time of year here at Mount Evelyn on Sept 22. Compared this to the previous evening when i...

  DX QUICK TIPS September 20, 2016 Yes, the sunspot cycle is going through its downturn and everyone is noticing just how quiet the higher shortwave frequencies are becoming. But it still pays to check out frequencies above 15 mHz because there are still days when propagation conditions are quite favourable for long distance reception of shortwave signals...even at nighttime! All the logs below were noted 1300 and 1500 UTC (between 11pm and 1am here at Mount Evelyn, in south eastern Victoria) on September 18. Quite a surprising list really! And, I've left out the many Chinese transmissions that were heard, too! 15390   GERMANY. Athmeeya Yatra Radio - Nauen. Changeover between minority SAs languages at 1445 with ID clearly noted. Fair to good signal. 15450   ENGLAND. RFE/RL - Woofferton. Tajik to CAs with a talkback program at 1442, fair to good signal. 15470   PHILIPPINES. Vatican R. - Tinang. Hindi service with (I guess) a religious song done...

STATION NEWS AND THE LOG BOOK September 17, 2016 STATION NEWS AUSTRALIA You may have seen from my recent post  on the ABC's return of the Northern Territory shortwave service after a two-week absence. All frequencies are back and well-heard both here in Australia and in many parts of the world. But be quick! Dear old ABC may decide to take the service down again....for good! BHUTAN Over the past several days, a number of DXers and shortwave listeners around the world have been monitoring the Bhutan Broadcasting Service . Ron Howard (CA, USA) reports: 6035 kHz - BBS, anomaly on Sept 14. Running well past their usual sign off time; 1217 and still on the air at tuned out 1330; announcer in vernacular; usual brief break for indigenous music (1218); 1221-1229 indigenous music/chanting/singing; 1229-1259 non-stop monologue; BBS theme music; news(?); 1318-1330 EZL singing. Very unusual for them to be on this late. In addition, reporting in the WRTH Facebook page...

THE BRANDON ANTENNAS My Visit to the Former Radio Australia Transmitter Site During our two month trip north from Mount Evelyn through Queensland and New South Wales back in July and August 2016, we had an opportunity to visit the former Radio Australia transmitter site near the little town of Brandon, about 85 km southeast of Townsville in Far North Queensland. Well, actually I visited the site while my wife Jan sat in the car, exhibiting a state of relative boredom! Officially, I had not made arrangements to inspect the transmitters. We were just passing through the town one warm Sunday afternoon. The site is only 5km out of Brandon on Jack Road. The topography is quite flat, making it ideal land for the sugar cane plantations that grow vigorously throughout this region. Here you'll find the powerhouse 50 kW mediumwave outlet of 4QN Townsville on 630 kHz with local programming from the ABC North Queensland studios. This frequency is well heard across a 250 km radius dur...

ABC NORTHERN TERRITORY SHORTWAVE SERVICE RETURNS! After two weeks absence, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Northern Territory service on shortwave returned to the air this morning (Sept 12). The three outlets of  4835 kHz VL8A Alice Springs, 4910 kHz VL8T Tennant Creek and 5025 kHz VL8K Katherine were switched back on at 2300 UTC. I noted them at Mount Evelyn around 2325. All were weak signals at that time, which was normal given that it was 9:25 am local time here. 4835 is the strongest here (as always).  Then tonight, I noted the scheduled switchover from daytime to nighttime frequencies. The service is timetabled to change daily at 0830 UTC. At 0829, the Tennant Creek switch was made from 4910 to 2325 kHz. At 0832, the Katherine switch from 5025 to 2485 kHz. Good reception was noted from both the 120mb outlets. How long this service continues remains to be seen. We can expect that the required ABC budget cuts may see this outback service come und...

STATION NEWS AND THE LOG BOOK September 4, 2016 STATION NEWS AUSTRALIA As I posted earlier in a number of Facebook groups and on Twitter, the ABC's Northern Territory Shortwave Service outlets have continued to be off the air for much of the past week. The nighttime frequencies of 2325 (Tennant Creek), 2385 (Katherine) and 4835 (Alice Springs), plus the daytime outlets of 4910 (Tennant Creek) and 5025 kHz (Katherine) have all been missing. This follows a recent absence from the shortwave bands of Radio Australia Shepparton for well over a week. On that occasion, the explanation by Radio Australia was confusing and not entirely convincing! We are hoping that the missing regionals is just a matter of a routine maintenance procedure and not something more permanent! However, on one frequency, the ABC's absence has uncovered the rarely heard  All India Radio regional transmitter at Gangtok on 4835 kHz. GUINEA The reactivation of Radio Guinée on 9650 kHz some weeks ago...